Boeing celebrates delivery of 50th 747-8

Boeing celebrated the 50th delivery of a 747-8 last week. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the launch customer of the passenger version, took delivery of the milestone aircraft almost one year after the first revenue flight of the 747-8 Intercontinental. It is the airline’s seventh 747-8 and its 82nd 747.

“Lufthansa is very proud to have the next Boeing 747-8 entering our fleet – almost exactly one year after the launch flight from Frankfurt to Washington, DC,” said Nico Buchholz, Executive Vice President Fleet Management, Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

“After one year of operation and now seven aircraft in the fleet, the aircraft has proven and delivered the excellent economical and ecological performance. We are very happy with the reliable operation of the 747-8.”

For more than a year-and-a-half, airlines have benefited from the 747-8’s schedule reliability, an industry measure of departure from the gate within 15 minutes of scheduled time, is 98.8% for the 747-8 fleet.

“This delivery is not only an important milestone for the 747-8 program, but it sets the stage for our future,” said Eric Lindblad, Vice President and General Manager, 747 program. “We will be building and delivering the 747-8 for decades to come.”

The 747-8 has about six million parts manufactured by more than 550 suppliers in almost 30 countries, including the United States, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. In the US, more than 450 suppliers across almost 40 states contribute to the 747-8 program.

Boeing delivered the first 747-8 Intercontinental to Lufthansa in April 2012. The airplane entered service on 1 June 2012 with a flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Washington, DC. Cargolux Airlines took delivery of the first 747-8 Freighter in October 2011. To date, 35 Freighters and 15 Intercontinentals, including eight of the Boeing Business Jet version, have been delivered.